Basbousa soaked in an Orange and Spice Syrup

Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 9 inch round (or 8 inch square) cake tin or baking dish. Keep aside.

Melt the butter, either in the microwave (in a microwave safe bowl) or over the stove (on a low heat). Keep aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine together the sugar and yogurt. Add in the semolina, baking powder and milk.

Finally stir in the melted butter and let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the semolina has a chance to absorb all the butter.

Transfer the mixture to the greased baking dish, smooth out the top a little and bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes.

This cake will not necessarily brown on top so if you want some colour, you could broil it briefly. I liked the white top for a change, so left it as is.

For the Syrup: While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan add all the ingredients for the syrup. (I used the zest and juice of one large navel orange, though any orange will do).

Bring to a boil, over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.Turn down the flame to low and let simmer till the syrup thickens a little.

Once the syrup has reduced and thickened a little, take it off the heat and pour it through a sieve to remove the zest and spices. Let cool. Pour the syrup over the basbousa while its still hot (as soon as it comes out of the oven).

Let the basbousa rest so the syrup can completely absorb into the cake. Top with sliced pistachios.